Notes on Wonderful World of Weird Disney panel at FanX

In the 1930’s, movie theaters had their own Mickey Mouse Clubs
and were in charge of making the costumes, many of which were creepy. There was
a Mickey Mouse car and a Mickey Mouse Revue, and no real quality control on
what the costumes looked like. Even at Disneyland in 1958, the White Rabbit
wasn’t a complete costume at the opening of the Alice in Wonderlandattraction.
Walt Disney had some wrought iron deer in his yard that he
gave up for the war effort. One photo shows him ready to take a sledgehammer to
Bambi.
According to Disney Historian Paul F. Anderson, Donald Duck’s
Der Fuehrer’s Face is the “greatest
single piece of propaganda to ever come out of the United States.” Originally
called Donald Duck in Nutzi Land, the
short features Donald Duck reading Mein
Kampf and working in a Nazi factory.
In the 1940s, it was all about promoting the film. One
theater hired “midgets” to promote Pinocchio.
They stood on top of the marquee and cavorted to draw attention to the movie
theater. At some point, someone sent up some alcohol and by the early evening
the men were drunk and naked.
At Disneyland, Main Street, U.S.A. used to have a lingerie
shop featuring “the wizard of bras.” The shop even had a short presentation
that used audio and a mirror to talk about ladies undergarments. The video of
Disneyland on the right shows the shop that lasted six months according to the Disney
History Institute.
The Main Street Cinema used to show silent films, and that
put Universal monsters on Main Street to promote the films.
Fishing off of Tom Sawyer’s Island was allowed. The park
even sold worms. People were allowed to keep all they caught, and the park had
facilities to store the fish until the guests went home.
The House of the Future was so well built that when it came
time to remove it, the wrecking balls just bounced off it. The park had to use
chainsaws to remove it piece by piece.